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BJJ Partners with Parent to Help Battle Hunger in Hurri

Posted: September 07, 2017

Academy News

Bronx, NY, September 5, 2017 -- With the advent of Hurricane Harvey, thousands have been left homeless (including children). Supermarkets have been emptied out due to high demand. Bronx Jiu-Jitsu has partnered up with local parent AshleyAnn Capozzoli to help raise money to be donated to the victims of Hurricane Harvey.

Ashley's son Ayden has been attending Bronx Jiu-Jitsu for a few years now. Having experienced what is like to lose everything first hand, Ashley Capozzoli knows what its like having to start over. Ashley & her family lost everything during a fire in their home back in December 2015 during the holidays. Justine Restrepo an employee at Bronx Jiu Jitsu at the time, organized a collection for the Capozzoli family. Bronx Jiu-Jitsu and it's members donated clothing & toys to the Capozzoli family during this time. Volunteering and helping others is a big part of Ashley's life.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks Bronx Jiu-Jitsu will be raffling off back to school supplies along with some awesome Bronx Jiu-Jitsu gear and gift cards. All proceeds will be donated to help those affected by the aftermath left by Hurricane Harvey. For every $1 donated, The Houston Food Bank will provide THREE meals to the families in need.

“We believe that Martial Arts is more than just bettering yourself on the mats. A true martial artist strives to be a positive role model on and off the mats. That’s why we are trying to do what we can to help and bring awareness to our fellow humans in need,” says Juan “Junior” Ortega, Head Instructor at Bronx Jiu-Jitsu.

Giving back to the community is one of the pillars that make Bronx Jiu-Jitsu different than other Martial Arts academies. “We are a family oriented academy and we like to express that by being actively involved in our community,” says Program Director Denise Ortega.

Bronx Jiu-Jitsu has been involved in other community outreach programs such as, Fernando Restrepo’s BJJ ASCEND program, which is a grass roots effort to bring Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to at-risk youths in the NYC public school system.